NFL Draft: Notre Dame Lineman Josh Lugg Out To Find Role In The NFL

Notre Dame offensive lineman Josh Lugg seeking to stick as valuable depth on the NFL level

Former Notre Dame offensive lineman Josh Lugg was an underrated member of the Irish offensive line over the last two seasons. He has experience both at offensive tackle and guard during his career, becoming a Swiss Army Knife of sorts up front.

Lugg now enters the draft process attempting to really showcase that versatility and find a way to stick. He will have an opportunity to prove his worth throughout the process, which started during the 2023 Hula Bowl a couple of weeks ago.

CAREER OVERVIEW

Utilizing the sixth year of eligibility in 2022, Lugg finished his Notre Dame career as a five year contributor for the team. After playing sporadically in his first four years on campus, Lugg transitioned into a full time starting role in each of the last two years.

In 2021, Lugg started the 12 games he played at right tackle. He transitioned to right guard in his final season and started all 13 games inside. In total, Lugg appeared in 62 games for the Irish and started 33 contests.

Lugg was a consensus four-star recruit coming out of North Allegheny High School in Pennsylvania. 247Sports was especially high on Lugg, rating him as the No. 86 overall player and No. 12 offensive tackle in the 2017 recruiting class.

EYE IN THE SKY

The first thing that pops out on film for Lugg is his body type. He looks every bit the part of an NFL offensive lineman, including a tall and well proportioned frame that looks suitable to play at either offensive tackle or inside at guard.

That is one of the reasons why Lugg has found experience at both positions during his career. That experience will be incredibly valuable to NFL teams. Quite simply, the more you can do as an offensive lineman, the better.

For a taller player, Lugg does play with relatively good bend in his hips. He is able to maintain a good pad level to create easy leverage in the run and pass game.

As a run blocker, Lugg shows outstanding effort to finish blocks and work up to the second level. His feet typically explode on contact, showing the talent to create movement even when he doesn’t get great initial push.

As a pass blocker, his experience at offensive tackle is a big help to him. Lugg plays with really nice patience as a pass protector, staying attached with the ability to mirror at a nice level. He is able to match twitchier interior pass rushers to counteract movement early on in reps.

The biggest hang up for Lugg is a severe lack of length and heavy feet to redirect consistently in space. This causes him to lose leverage too often and fall off of blocks. Length is always going to give him major issue. At the Hula Bowl, Lugg measured in with just 31 1/2-inch arms, which are quite short for a lineman, especially one as tall as Lugg stands.

CURRENT PROJECTION

With Lugg’s inconsistent play and average athletic gifts, he is a long shot to hear his name called when April rolls around. With his size, position flexibility and Notre Dame pedigree, Lugg will get a long look in a camp as a priority free agent. From there, it’ll be up to him to find a role on a roster.

WHAT TO PROVE

Dependability is the name of the game for Lugg, and it’ll have to be what he proves to NFL scouts and decision makers this draft season. Lugg will have two big opportunities to showcase his talents, including recently during the 2023 Hula Bowl.

NFL scouts from every NFL franchise traveled to Orlando, Florida to see the talented roster. A week worth of practice is exactly what Lugg needed. He isn’t a player who is going to wow anyone physicality but seeing consistency day to day in that setting is huge.

Lugg will also have the pro day but again, that shouldn’t be his strong suit. More importantly for him is going to be the ability to sit down and visit with teams. For a player who hopes to find a niche as a swing player, comfort will be big for teams. It isn’t just comfort as a player, but also comfort as a young man and hard worker. 

Irish Breakdown Content

2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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